In recent years, control technology has become increasingly important in the field of medicine. Devices that include a large number of electronic components are used in numerous operations. These medical devices usually include at least one instrument and a supply device that supplies the instrument accordingly. For example, electronically-controlled cryosurgical, electrosurgical and water jet surgical instruments are known and are operated by very complex control algorithms. For example, in high-frequency surgery (HF surgery) alternating current of high frequency is passed through the human body to devitalize or cut tissue in a targeted manner. In HF surgery, an HF generator is connected to a corresponding electrosurgical instrument to provide a suitable alternating current. In cryosurgery, supply devices, which are in fluid connection with corresponding instruments (for example, cryoprobes), provide a fluid for cooling the instrument. The corresponding supply devices must have control units, input units and output units to control the connected instruments in a suitable manner.
Corresponding electrosurgical devices are disclosed in European Patent Applications EP 1 862 137 A1 and EP 1 829 493 A1. A number of parameters (e.g., tissue type, operating mode, etc.) have to be taken into consideration for the control of these devices. The control units contained in the supply devices control various variables (e.g., voltage, current, power and modulation frequency, etc.). Electrosurgical supply devices often provide a number of operating modes, for example, a mode for cutting and a mode for coagulation.
In the past, a separate control program was developed for each of these operating modes. Maintenance of these programs is extremely time-consuming and susceptible to errors. Furthermore, the correctness of corresponding control programs cannot be established deterministically, meaning that numerous tests are necessary to ensure the safety of both the patient to be treated and the personnel. The development of control programs is therefore very expensive.